


Twixt and Stretch

by SoloShikigami



Series: A Skeleton's Despair [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Gen, Twixttale, Underswap Papyrus (Undertale)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:07:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25392847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoloShikigami/pseuds/SoloShikigami
Summary: In the search for his brother, Stretch ends up in TwixtTale - an alternate universe where everyone's genders are switched and the skeleton sisters had a much different history than his own. While searching through this odd version of the Underground, he learns that not all universes are created equal.
Series: A Skeleton's Despair [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1807543
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11





	Twixt and Stretch

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! This is another part of the "Skeleton's Despair" series, and you can start with ["A King's Plan."](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24594925/chapters/59408788) when you're ready for the beginning of Blue's adventure!
> 
> [Go here if you want to see what I currently have written under the TwixtTale AU!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10434099/chapters/23038068)
> 
> The story for TwixtTale isn't completed yet, I will resume work on it soon! <3 Enjoy!

While Stretch was beginning to learn to be ready for anything as long as he was going to universe-hop, he definitely didn’t expect to wake up with the end of a bone staff pointed at his face.

“Do. Not. Move,” warned the one evidently holding the weapon.

It was dark, the only light coming from the soft blue glow of the weapon. He slowly brought his hands up to show that he wasn’t armed.

“H-hey, easy, now,” he said quietly and slowly. “I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

“Damn straight you’re not. Who are you?”

“I’m Papyr- I mean, Stretch.”

He still couldn’t see who was holding him, but he got the feeling that they were considering him.

“Your name is Papyrus,” the other stated flatly.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Might as well keep your nickname, your real name is a dangerous one to use.”

The weapon was lifted, and a soft glow from magically lit candle lit the room. Stretch could just make out a familiar shape and the color of the clothes.

“Sans? What the-?!” Stretch began to sit up, but the weapon was back in his face.

“How do you know that name?” the voice demanded sharply.

“Please, calm down,” Stretch said, his head beginning to spin. “I’m not looking for trouble.”

“And yet, you still found it.”

A door opened and a disapproving huff came from the bright doorway of light.

“Really, now, sister, what are you doing?”

Stretch winced as the lights in the room came on and he was a little surprised to find himself lying on the floor of a living room that looked similar to his own; the carpet was a little more faded, the couch looked a little more beat up though there was a badly crocheted purple doily on it, there was no television, but there was still a little white sock sitting against the wall with little notes taped to the wall.

But what was more surprising was his and his brother’s alternates here; the most obvious difference here was that they were both female.

“Oh! Hello there!” the tall, slender skeleton who had walked in went straight to Stretch and offered him a hand. “I apologize if my sister was being so rough, she’s a little shy around strangers.”

She looked a lot like the first Papyrus Stretch had come across – she wore black leggings, a short, blue skirt, a white tunic-like shirt, and her red scarf was wrapped around her head.

“I’m not shy, Verdana,” the other mumbled, dismissing her bone weapon and crossed her arms. “I’m careful.”

The Sans certainly looked a lot like the first, too; white shorts peeked out from under a black skirt, she also wore a white shirt and a blue hoodie with a gray hood. But around her head seemed to be a black headband, maybe made of lace?

Either way, she wasn’t very friendly.

“Forgive her, we have had quite a rough time,” Verdana said, walking around Stretch for a moment and brushing dust off of his clothes.

“I’d like to know where the hell you came from,” the other said.

“I, uhm,” Stretch scratched the back of his head as he tried to form an answer, but he looked around a realized that the Universe-hopper was missing. “Oh, oh no, no no!”

“What’s the matter?” Verdana asked.

“I had a machine with me, bout this big, buttons,” Stretch mimicked the size of the device.

“That sounds important,” Verdana said.

“It’s upstairs,” the other skeleton muttered. “It’s, uhm, in my bed.”

“Calibri! Why would you take Stretch’s belongings and put them in your bed?” Verdana asked, looking shocked.

“Now wait, don’t jump to conclusions,” Calibri snarled, pointing at Stretch. “This pervert was in my bed!”

“What?!” Stretch exclaimed.

“You were! I ported you down here,” Calibri explained, her voice dropping a little as if she remembered something she forgot.

“I guess that makes sense,” Stretch murmured. “Seems to be a reoccurring theme.”

Calibri looked like she was going to say something, but instead sighed and shuffled over to the couch, dropping onto it with the same sort of lackadaisical attitude Stretch had, and he remembered from Sans. She settled into the cushions and shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.

“Sister, are you all right?” Verdana asked.

“Yeah.”

“Now Calibri.”

“Not _now_ , Verdana.”

Verdana looked annoyed, but stayed silent. Stretch looked between the two, but whatever was going on was a minor matter.

“Uhm, would you mind if I, uhm, went to go get my machine?” Stretch asked.

“No, you may not!” Verdana said primly. “Entering the room of a lady you hardly know? Most improper, my friend. No, I shall go get your device. Excuse me.”

Verdana spun on her heel and went upstairs.

“She’s really not that uptight,” Calibri murmured from the couch, her eyes closed.

“You seem to be, or rather, you seemed to be,” Stretch said, tucking his own hands in his own pockets.

Calibri opened one eye as her mouth turned down into a scowl.

“You have a lot to answer for,” she said. “The only one I ever expect to wake up next to is my sister. I have never seen you before. You share my sister’s given name, and I can’t help but notice that you do share some of her features, like you’re her twin or something,” Calibri sat up and slipped off of the couch, which seemed to take more energy than it was really warranted, and moved closer to Stretch. “Now, I don’t know if maybe skeletons only come in certain shapes and sizes, but without other references it’s hard to tell.”

“I don’t really know,” Stretch said, feeling uncomfortable under Calibri’s searching gaze. “I feel at a bit of a loss; like, earlier, you said using my real name was dangerous. Why?”

“I believe I found it!” Verdana said, waving the device as she descended.

“Oh, careful,” Stretch murmured, moving to reach for the machine.

Calibri watched Stretch with interest as he took the machine from Verdana and checked it over.

“So, what is it?” Verdana asked, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward so she could look.

“It’s, uhm,” Stretch toyed with whether or not he should explain the machine to them. There really wasn’t any reason not to. “Look, I, uhm, I come from a different universe, and this is how I got here.”

Verdana’s eyes sparkled with excitement while Calibri looked at him with skepticism.

“That explains quite a bit, actually,” Calibri said.

“Yeah,” Stretch looked Calibri over. “So, uh, do you know about other universes?”

“No, not at all,” Calibri said. “It sounds like something my mom would have gotten into, I think that was her line of work before the Royal Family hired her to figure out The Core.”

“Your mom?” Stretch asked.

“Oh, yes, our mother was a brilliant scientist,” Verdana said, beaming with pride. “She was a very busy monster, though, and my sister was ill, so I- oh! Sister!”

Stretch looked over at Calibri with horror as she let out a small groan and collapsed to the floor. Verdana was at her side in an instant and gently got her to her feet.

“I’m okay,” she murmured.

“Do not lie to me! I should have known, you teleported Stretch and yourself down here, did you not?” Verdana asked.

“Well what did you expect me to do, carry him?” Calibri scowled.

“And I am not even going to begin to ask what you did after, you really need to be more conservative!”

“I think you’re conservative enough for the both of us and half of the Royal Guard,” Calibri grinned.

As the two bickered, Stretch watched on in some amusement as surprise, especially at Verdana’s tone shift from the sort of younger sibling tone he heard from his own brother, to a mother-like tone of scolding.

Verdana sighed and with a huff she took a gentle hold of Calibri’s wrist and led her to the couch. But instead of guiding her sister to lay down, Verdana sat on the edge of the couch cushion and seemed to try to pull Calibri into her lap, one arm slipping under the jacket but over her shirt to her sternum. Stretch thought he could see the faintest bit of magic from Verdana’s hand, a yellow-ish, peachy sort of color.

“Wait, no, Verdana, not in front of him,” Calibri mumbled under her breath, shoving her sister’s hands away.

Stretch perceived that his attention wasn’t wanted and turned away from them, but he wasn’t sure where he could go or what he could do.

“Calibri, you need to-!”

“ _Not. Now._ ”

Verdana let her go, and Calibri turned just slightly so she could give Verdana a look, one the other recognized, and reluctantly nodded upon understanding the meaning.

“Look, never mind me,” Calibri said, shoving her hands in her pockets again. “Stretch, it’s really best for you to get yourself home. If you don’t belong in this universe, it’s probably not good that you’re here, you know?”

“I, I can’t, not yet,” Stretch said, turning back to face them. “I’m here because my little brother is missing. There was an accident in our universe that separated us and flung us to other universes. In the first one I was in, that Sans helped me put together this device and got me home, but my bro is nowhere to be seen.”

“That sounds awful,” Verdana said, getting to her feet and moving to stand behind Calibri, putting her hands on her shoulders. “I, I don’t know what I would do if my sister went missing.”

“Well, I know what I would do,” Calibri said with a sigh. “We better search for him, and hope that we find him first.”

“Shall I call Undyne?” Verdana asked.

“Yeah, it would be good to get his help.”

*~*~*~*~*

Stretch was hoping he didn’t look as intimidated as he felt.

This Undyne was at least two inches taller than him, and he wondered if his own would be the same if she stood up straight. He was still just as slender, but his black tank top left nothing to the imagination as to the muscles he developed in his training. His black pants didn’t hide much either, and it was clear he did not skip leg day.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Undyne murmured, looking down at Stretch with amazement.

“Us neither!” Verdana said, eyes sparkling and looking at Stretch with some pride.

“Well, c’mon, sit, and I’ll make some tea,” he said, tilting his head towards his kitchen.

The three skeletons sat around the table, Verdana sitting straight and proper, Calibri slouching, and Stretch looking nervous and uncomfortable.

“Relax,” Calibri said to him.

“Sorry, this is really weird for me,” Stretch muttered.

“It’s okay, Stretch,” Verdana said, reaching over to pat his hand gently. “Calibri, be nice.”

“I’m guessing from your reaction that you haven’t seen any other skeletons around?” Calibri asked.

“Besides you two nerds, nah,” Undyne said, setting out four mugs as the water boiled. “What’s this other guy look like?”

“Kinda like Calibri,” Stretch said. “But he has blue eyes. Wearing white, grey, and pale blue clothes. Kinda talks like Verdana, I guess?”

Undyne looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow, then shook his head and continued setting up the tea.

“Skeleton are weird,” he muttered. “So, Stretch, where did you come from?”

“That doesn’t matter,” Calibri said because Stretch could answer. “He and his bro can’t stay here.”

“Well, where are they supposed to go?” Undyne asked with a scoff. “What, were they holding out in The Ruins?”

He poured the hot water into the mugs, steeping the teabags, then set the first two mugs in front of Stretch and Verdana.

“Calibri,” Verdana whispered to her sister with a reproachful look.

“I guess it doesn’t matter,” Undyne sighed. “Man, and I really thought you two were the last ones. Heh, wild. Anyway, I’ll put word out to a few of my informants – the most trustworthy ones, I promise.”

He then set the third mug in front of Calibri and sat, taking a long sip. Calibri didn’t touch her tea, and Verdana drank hers enthusiastically. Stretch looked down at his mug, and found the color of the tea oddly familiar.

_I guess some things never change, even between universes,_ he thought, taking up the tea and taking a sip.

“What kind of tea is this?” Stretch asked, despite figuring he would know the answer.

“Golden flower tea, King Toriel’s favorite,” Undyne said.

Stretch raised a brow bone at the name, glancing at the other two. Verdana still smiled though the emotion in her eyes seemed to shift, and Calibri’s face went dark.

“We appreciate the help, Undyne,” Calibri said, slowly getting up from the table. “We’re going to head back into Snowdin and search towards The Ruins.”

“All right, my team and I will start in Waterfall and Hotland,” Undyne said, not getting up. “I have doubt that they would have reached The Capital.”

“I hope not,” Calibri muttered. “We may head there tonight if we have no luck. Just keep your Guard off our backs, in any case.”

“Always do,” Undyne gave her a wink.

“Yeah. Well, if you guys don’t mind, I’m going to get started,” Calibri said, putting her hands in her pockets. “Stay as long as you like. Thanks again for your help, Undyne, and for the tea.”

“Anytime.”

Calibri gave them a grin and a small salute, and teleported out.

“If she insists on keeping secrets, then she shouldn’t teleport,” Verdana mumbled, but then made a sound like she was clearing her throat and smiled at Stretch. “She probably just went outside the door. If you are done with your tea, Stretch, would you mind terribly going with her? I do not think she should be by herself right now.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Stretch said, slowly getting up. “Uh, you coming?”

“I will, I just need to discuss a change in my training schedule with Undyne.”

“Okay. Thanks for the tea, and thank you for your help, Undyne.”

“No problem, Stretch.”

Verdana waved and smiled as he left, and as soon as the door shut, she sighed.

“Okay, so, what’s really going on?” Undyne asked.

“I am not completely sure, either,” Verdana said with a sigh. “Forgive me, my friend, you understand that I cannot always tell you everything.”

“Been that way since we first met,” Undyne said with a chuckle. “No worries there. Do you think your friend’s brother is okay, though? I know things are kind of settled between you guys and Toriel, but…”

“I cannot be sure, which is why it is so important that we find him.”

Outside, Stretch didn’t have to do much to catch up to Calibri; as Verdana said, she didn’t go far, her hood was up, and while she seemed very intent on her direction and walked with purpose, it was slower than what was warranted.

“Hey,” Stretch called out as he approached her. “So, am I going to find out what’s up between you and Undyne?”

“What do you mean?” Calibri asked in a quiet voice.

“You didn’t seem very happy, and as much as he seems to be trusted, you don’t trust him.”

“I don’t trust much of anyone.”

“Calibri, wait,” Stretch said, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

Calibri turned to face Stretch, and he was a little surprised to see a tear in one eye. She seemed to realize this and quickly wiped at it.

“Sans,” Stretch murmured, putting both hands on her shoulder and dropping to one knee. “Please, what is going on?”

Calibri’s eyes blanked at the name and she shoved him away.

“Don’t call me that,” she hissed.

“Why not? It’s your name, isn’t it!”

“I told you that it was dangerous!”

“Why?”

“Because we were hunted for it!”

The words echoed in the cavern, and for a moment Calibri looked panicked and even covered her mouth. Stretch stared at her, the words repeating in his own head, his own personal echo, as his other knee went to the ground and he sat on his heels. The look in his eyes went from shock to pity, sorrow to confusion. Meanwhile, Calibri sighed and shoved her hands into her pockets again.

“I should be happy that things aren’t the same in your world, if your reaction is anything to go by,” she said, her voice quiet once more. “But there’s a reason why I was surprised when I woke up to you in my bed, besides the obvious; Verdana and I are the only skeleton monsters in The Underground, possibly in the world. Yes, our mother named me Sans, and her Papyrus, but those names were too dangerous to keep, so we’ve had to discard them.”

“But why?”

“This isn’t the place for it, nor the time. If your brother is here, we need to find him, and fast,” Calibri reached a hand out to Stretch, and he took it. Her mouth quirked up in a partial smirk. “Hold onto your hoodie.”

Stretch felt the pull of teleportation, and before he knew it they were at the end of Snowdin.

“We’ll start moving towards The Ruins,” Calibri said. “I think if a skeleton showed up in town, we would have heard of it or they would have directed him to our house.”

“How do you figure? Especially if you’re being hunted?” Stretch asked.

“Well, we’re not so much anymore, for one, even when we were Snowdin didn’t seem to know or maybe they didn’t care, for two, and for three, The Canine Squad is loyal to Undyne, so they would have told him.”

Stretch only nodded and followed Calibri. Their search went mostly silently, though Stretch called out now and then as his brother would surely recognize his voice.

“So, Calibri, if you guys aren’t hunted anymore, why are your names dangerous to use?” Stretch asked.

“Our new ones are fitting enough, and we don’t want to accidentally stir up bad blood, so to speak,” Calibri said.

Stretch tilted his head to the side.

“Are you okay? Your voice seems a little off.”

“Hm? Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.”

They continued on, passing Verdana’s puzzles, then reaching Calibri’s sentry station.

“So do you sell food out here, too?” Stretch asked.

“Nah, brings too much attention,” Calibri said, wiping a bit of snow off the counter before moving on.

Stretch noticed that they were moving slower; he was matching Calibri’s pace, and while he didn’t mind taking it easy he was concerned about his new companion; her voice was sounding run down, there was a slump in her shoulders that wasn’t there before, and he was noticing her tracks in the snow showed slightly dragging footsteps.

“Well, here we are, The Ruins,” Calibri said with a sigh, leaning against a nearby rock.

Stretch went up to the double doors. They were just as massive and mysterious and locked as his own.

“Do you tell jokes to anyone behind these doors?”

“Heh, no, why?”

“In my universe, there’s a nice guy on the other side whose jokes are about as good as mine. Great opportunity to try out a good knock knock joke.”

“Oh yeah,” Calibri chuckled, pushing off the rock.

“Yeah… Uh, you sure you’re okay?”

Stretch could swear he saw a look of pain on Calibri’s face and it looked like there was a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, turning from him and beginning to shuffle back up the path. “Hey, heh, knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” Stretch asked, beginning to follow.

“Dwayne.”

“Dwayne who?”

“Heh, Dwayne the tub… I’m… drowning…”

“Calibri!”

She wavered on her feet and began to collapse, but Stretch rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground. He felt her forehead, which was colder than it should have been, her body was limp, and felt lighter than it should be, even for as small as she was.

“Calibri? Calibri?! Oh, man, what happened? What’s wrong?” Stretch panicked, looking around as if there would be someone around to help. “What do I do, what do I do?!”

Teleporting didn’t seem to be a good idea, but they were so far away from town, and he didn’t know how to get a hold of Verdana. Snow began to fall, and Stretch knew that they couldn’t stay there, so he scooped Calibri up, cradling her close, and started to walk home.

“Stretch? Where is-! CALIBRI!”

As he reached Calibri’s sentry station, Verdana was coming down the path. She broke into a run when she realized Stretch was carrying her sister.

“She just collapsed, I don’t know what happened,” Stretch stammered as Verdana took charge of her sister.

“I know what happened,” she said, her voice a mix of exasperation and worry. “Come, there’s no helping it while the snow is falling.”

She went behind the sentry station and Stretch followed.

“Close it up,” Verdana said as she settled to one side, leaning her back against the wall and rearranging Calibri so she was sitting in her lap with her back to her chest.

It took Stretch a moment to understand what Verdana meant, but when he did catch on it was an easy task, as the ropes and pulls were the same and soon he had the other three sides covered, giving them protection from the falling snow and prying eyes.

“What’s going on, Verdana? Is she okay?” Stretch asked, sitting across from her with his back against the opposite wall.

“Yes and no,” Verdana sighed, settling her hands as he saw her do earlier, one on Calibri’s sternum and the other across her middle.

“Your magic is an interesting color,” Stretch said, his eyes fixed on the odd mix of peach and yellow coming from Verdana’s hands.

“They were the colors mother assigned to me,” Verdana murmured. “Calibri may be mad at me for telling you this, but you should know that Calibri is very sick.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Verdana’s eyes met his and she smiled.

“No need to apologize, she has been sick since she was a very small child. Her survival is dependent upon me.”

“Why? What’s the matter?”

“There is a disease that only affects skeleton monsters, it’s called osteoaborisci.”

“Never heard of it.”

“You’re lucky. It weakens skeletons where they cannot support themselves, and, well… you know how we’re the only two skeletons?”

“Oh, that’s terrible,” Stretch swallowed hard, then he gasped in a panic. “Wait, can I get it, too?”

“No, the disease is eradicated now.”

Verdana closed her eyes for a moment, murmuring to Calibri in a soothing voice. Stretch waited as long as he could before the silence and his curiosity got to him.

“What does it do?” he asked.

“It slowly deteriorates our magic, and therefore, our bodies,” Verdana explained, her eyes opening halfway. “Calibri’s HP rarely reaches above one, but that’s enough to keep her alive. But when she overextends her magic, it begins to drop, she passes out, and if I don’t restore her, she will Fall Down.”

“Why does she use her magic, then?”

“Why don’t you mind yer own business,” Calibri muttered, slowly seeming to come out of her unconsciousness.

“Sister! Are you all right? No, no, you are not going to move,” Verdana said sternly. “I am not finished with you, and I am very angry with you.”

Calibri winced, and slumped back against Verdana with a sighed, her eyes closing again.

“My apologies, Stretch, but I think that explains why she isn’t more careful. She’s stubborn.”

Calibri mumbled something under her breath, but with another sigh, she seemed to pass out again.

“So you’re a healer?” Stretch asked, wanting to move the subject along and hoping to tread more into territory that wouldn’t upset Calibri.

“Yes. Our mother created me with special magic. I cannot fall victim to the disease, and I have magic to counteract it, at least in Calibri. We do not know if it would work on any other monsters.”

“I see.”

“Did it stop snowing?”

Stretch got up and lifted a wooden slat to peer outside.

“I think so.”

“Good. I believe Calibri is stable enough. I think we should go home for now, and we will begin our search again in the morning.”

*~*~*~*~*

Calibri was put to bed, Verdana offered the few extra bedclothes they had for Stretch to make himself comfortable on the couch, and Stretch was surprised to find that Verdana’s signature dish was baked ziti, and besides the cheese on top being burnt to a black crisp, the noodles, sauce, and cheese closer to the bottom was pretty good.

“We need our calcium, which was why I chose this instead of spaghetti – more cheese - although spaghetti was what Undyne taught me how to cook first,” Verdana explained with a smile.

Stretch had a hard time sleeping as he went through everything in his mind. He was worried about his brother, worried about Calibri, and worried about this world that he had ended up in. What if Verdana was wrong about this disease? Would he and his Sans be subjected to it? Would their lives be tied in with these sisters as their only hope of surviving it?

He was finally able to set the thought aside when the sisters awoke the next morning. Calibri didn’t say much beyond that their search should start in The Capital. Undyne and her crew were likely to cover Hotland, so the skeletons could work back towards them.

“This might be a little more dangerous,” Calibri said. “So don’t go wandering off without us.”

“Yeah,” Stretch said.

They started making their way through the oddly familiar gray buildings of The Capital. Not too many monsters seemed to be around, which made Stretch shudder.

“Is it normally this quiet?” Stretch asked.

“Not too sure,” Calibri admitted.

“We didn’t see much of The Capital when we were children, even though this is where we lived,” Verdana added.

“Why’s that?” Stretch asked.

“Our mother wouldn’t let us leave our home, unless we were to go with her to the lab,” Calibri muttered, still annoyed that Verdana had told Stretch as much as she did. “It was… dangerous.”

“Was there any time in your life when things weren’t dangerous for you two?” Stretch asked. “I mean, what happened that made you guys into a target?”

Calibri and Verdana went silent. Before Stretch could ask anything further, Calibri spoke up.

“We better stayed focused on finding your brother, before someone else finds him first,” Calibri said.

The search through The Capital netted them nothing, and after a phone call to Undyne, it seemed that Stretch’s brother was nowhere to be found.

“I guess I better fire up the dimensional hopper then and get out of your way,” Stretch said with a sigh as he pulled the device from his back pocket. “Thanks, the two of you.”

Stretch started to turn the machine on, not seeing the look that exchanged between the two sisters. Verdana looked down at Calibri, who shook her head. Verdana narrowed her eyes and Calibri glowered back. Verdana crossed her arms over her chest, and Calibri sighed, then she slowly shuffled over to Stretch and put her hand over the device.

“We should check The Palace,” Calibri muttered.

“What? Why?”

“Just… trust me. It’s worth a shot.”

If Calibri and Verdana were trying to be inconspicuous while searching The Capital, they were trying even harder when they approached The Palace.

“Do you think your King knows if he’s here?” Stretch asked.

“Again, it’s worth a shot,” Calibri said. “Uhm, look, I’ll be straight with you, here, I don’t know how this is going to go.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what the Royal Family is like in your world, Stretch, but King Toriel is not the nicest monster here.”

“King Toriel?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh. Well, how bad can he be?”

The following silence told him more than he wanted to know, and did what he could to help speed them along.

In one elevator, our the other, up a set of stairs, and into another elevator, and Stretch soon found that they were in a familiar golden hallway.

Judgement Hall.

“What are you doing here, Sans?”

Calibri always made sure she was ahead of the other two, and the moment she heard the voice, she straightened and put an arm out to make sure the others didn’t move further.

“I have come to ask you a question,” Calibri said evenly.

Out of the shadows of the end of the hall came King Toriel. Stretch blinked at this odd version, as the monster did look quite a bit like his Asgore, though, fluffier, heavier, and a dark weight behind his eyes. The King’s robes were a dark, navy blue and white, the royal crest done in silver and the trimming of his clothing in white.

“What is it do you wish of me?” he asked.

“Have you seen another skeleton lately? A new one, maybe looks a little like me?” Calibri asked, her voice sounding carefully even, like she was asking a loaded question.

“Why would I have seen any skeletons?” King Toriel asked, a sharp glint to his otherwise tired eyes.

“We do not have time for banter,” Calibri said sharply. “Have you, or have you not?”

“What do you think I would have done if I did, Sans?”

“I don’t want to think what you would have done.”

“Sans, please, I only-!”

“No, Toriel. You do not get to plead for anything.”

“You won’t even take my word.”

“No reason for me to.”

“If you must Judge me, then Judge me. It is your duty after all, is it not?”

“Sister, no,” Verdana whispered.

“What’s going on?” Stretch asked.

“None of your business,” Calibri said, glancing over her shoulder. “The both of you just stay back.”

Stretch could feel the heavy weight of magic fill the hall, a specific type of magic, one that he wielded himself from time to time. He glanced at Verdana hoping for some form of clarification, but her eyes were fixed on Calibri, her hands shaking worriedly.

King Toriel let out a slight grunt, and he fell to one knee. Stretch wanted to be concerned, but his own instincts as The Judge were bringing a bad feeling from this Boss Monster. There was something dark coming from his soul, something about his LV, something about something he did… his sins were certainly crawling on his back now, the power of Karmic Retribution becoming clear as he fell forward on all fours, and seemed about to collapse completely when the tension in the room lifted, Calibri shoved her hands in her jacket pocket and seemed to lean back.

“I guess you have been doing more to atone,” she murmured. “I would think you should be dead if you were lying to us. Good day, Your Majesty.”

When she turned to face the others, her eyes were still blaring bright with blue and yellow magic, though her face was devoid of any emotion, and she walked between them with a small nod indicating that they should follow. Verdana looked up at the King, giving him a slight nod before turning to follow Calibri, grabbing hold of Stretch’s wrist on the way out.

The three got into the elevator that would take them back to the level where they could take the river raft back to Snowdin. Verdana insisted Calibri sit in her lap, worried that she had overextended herself, and while Calibri glared, she didn’t protest. At first, the journey was silent, and Stretch was a little surprised to find that it was Calibri who broke the silence.

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t find your brother,” Calibri said.

“Thank you for trying,” Stretch said. “Uhm, I… I hope…”

Stretch wasn’t sure what to say.

“I’m also sorry that you had to see that,” Calibri said, turning to face him. “It’s a strange twist of fate that I was given the role of The Judge, meanwhile, King Toriel would have rather anyone else in the position. I can tell by the look on your face that perhaps the rulers in your Universe must be different, but ours did some terrible things.”

“Yeah, well, mine aren’t exactly innocent, either, but it sounds like there’s more than what you’re telling me.”

“There is,” Verdana spoke up with a sad sigh. “But I believe we have all gone through enough today. Since your brother is not here, Stretch, what will you do?”

“I’ll have to try another universe.”

“You’re a very good brother,” Verdana said.

“Heh, you two would do the same for each other, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course!”

“Absolutely,” Calibri said.

“Well, sister, we barely have much of a choice in that matter.”

“Shush.”

Verdana gave Stretch a wink as Calibri leaned against her with a sigh and shut her eyes.

Once they were back in Snowdin and back at the house, Stretch took out the universe hopper and began calibrating it for the next universe.

“We will keep an eye out for your brother,” Verdana promised. “Although, I am uncertain what to do if he should show up here.”

“I think keeping him safe and in one spot will be enough,” Calibri said. She shifted on her feet. “Uhm, like, should we go with you, or something?”

“No, it is best I travel alone, and also, I don’t know if I can bring others with me with this, and considering your condition, I wouldn’t want to risk separating you two.”

“Yeah,” Calibri said with a slightly disappointed tone. “Well, look, if you need us, we’re willing to help.”

“I am an excellent healer!” Verdana said. “After all, I am a priestess.”

Stretch stopped tinkering to look up at them and smiled warmly.

“Thank you both, and thank you for everything you’ve done.”

Tears suddenly came to Verdana’s eyes and she leapt forward to hug Stretch,

“You be careful! Don’t let any other monster push you around! And you give that brother of yours a stern talking to for separating from you like this!” Verdana exclaimed.

“Heh, cut the guy some slack, sis, you’re gonna choke him,” Calibri said, moving forward and holding a hand out to Stretch. “Until next we meet, Papyrus.”

“Until next we meet,” Stretch said, reaching forward to shake her hand.

Only to hear the familiar sound of a whoopie cushion, and the familiar snicker that followed.

**Author's Note:**

> Like what you read? Please check out my social media for more fun!  
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